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Operation Bullpen over…sort of

The FBI's well publicized "Operation Bullpen" caught some bad guys and got a lot of publicity. Now it's over. But the FBI is still interested in the hobby.

There were investigations, arrests, convictions, press conferences and quite a bit of self-generated publicity. The FBI's "Operation Bullpen" focused on putting some trust back into the autographed memorabilia industry and weeding out those who were forging the names of famous athletes.

The arrest of former boxer Chuck Wepner was the last big news we've heard about Bullpen. And there's a good reason for that. The Operation is over according to the Bureau's San Diego office. There are more possible indictments coming in the case but for the most part the feds have moved away from any organized effort to patrol the industry.

Yet the FBI says it remains willing to step in anytime collectors come forward with suspected cases of forgeries. "The public is our greatest asset," one official told Sports Collectors Daily late last week. "Most of our work comes from tips we've gotten from ordinary citizens rather than some formal investigation we start on our own."

The FBI encourages collectors to contact their local office if they have evidence that there is a group of forgers at work.

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About Rich Mueller

Rich is the editor and founder of Sports Collectors Daily. A broadcaster and writer for more than 30 years and a collector for even longer than that, he's usually typing something somewhere. Type him back at [email protected]